Best Time to Post on Facebook for Maximum Engagement in 2025

Post timing on Meta (Facebook) has a big impact on how well your content performs. The timing of your posts impacts reach, engagement, and interaction because it determines how many people will see and engage with your content when it’s published.

The more interaction a post gets early on, the more the algorithm tends to favor it, increasing its chances of getting even more likes, shares, and comments.

In the following sections, we will guide you through the worst and the best time to post on Facebook, the worst and best weekdays to post on Facebook marketplace and explore tools to schedule your posts.

TL;DR

Best times to post on Facebook:

Sunday: 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM

Monday: 8:00 AM–10:00 AM, 12:00 PM–1:00 PM

Tuesday: 9:00 AM–11:00 AM, 2:00 PM–4:00 PM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM–10:00 AM, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM

Thursday: 12:00 PM–1:00 PM, 3:00 PM–6:00 PM

Friday: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM

Saturday: 11:00 AM–1:00 PM, 5:00 PM–7:00 PM

*These timings are a combination of research backed data from Facebook insights, social media management tools (HootSuite, SproutSocial, etc) and analytics tools, industry trends that track audience behavior on platforms like Facebook.

All timings are global timings.

The Importance of Timing for Facebook Posts

Number of monthly active users on Facebook — Source: Statista

With 86% of marketers using it for marketing campaigns and 3.06 billion monthly active users, Facebook continues to dominate as the top marketing platform worldwide. As a marketer, fully tapping into this platform’s potential is key to driving the best outcomes.

While creating relevant content and targeting the right audience is essential, posting at the right time is equally critical for maximum impact. Here’s why:

The timing of your Meta posts directly impacts visibility and engagement. Posting during peak hours, ensures that more people are able to see your content.
Meta uses AI in its algorithm to deliver the most relevant content to its audience. By understanding the algorithm and using it to your advantage, you can achieve greater reach and better results.
Higher engagement early on signals to its algorithm that the post is relevant, which in turn increases its chances of being shown to a larger segment of your audience.

It’s worth mentioning here that posting times on Meta depend on audience behavior, which in turn varies based on factors like demographics, location, and industry.

For example, a restaurant might get the best results posting around lunchtime or dinner hours, while a financial services brand could see better engagement during weekday mornings.

Before we delve into the timings, it is important to understand how Facebook displays the most relevant content to your potential viewers.

How does Facebook determine which posts to show to each user?

Here are some pointers that Facebook’s algorithm majorly focuses on:

Post performance of the creator.
Post’s popularity based on likes, shares, and comments. Essentially, the engagement and how viral the post is.
User’s interaction with your posts. The more they interact with your brand or page, the more your content will appear in their feed.
The recency of the post. Old posts never re-appear. The more you publish (based on the timings), the more your posts will gain traction.
The type of content plays a role. Is it a reel, long video, image, etc? You need to keep tabs on what’s more popular.

While they play an important part, another important aspect to keep in mind is Facebook’s algorithm when scheduling your posts.

Leverage Facebook’s Algorithm While Scheduling Posts on FB

Here is how the algorithm works:

Inventory: Facebook creates a list of recent posts that could appear on the viewer’s feed, including content from their friends, Pages they follow, and Facebook Groups they are a part of.

Signals: Facebook uses many signals to personalize the feed, including users’ interactions with posts and actions on the platform.

AI Predictions: These predictions are made using users’ historical data on the platform. It’s basically their actions, such as their likes, dislikes, groups they are part of, and the kind of content they have interacted with in the past.

Relevance Scoring: Lastly, the algorithm encapsulates all the relevant posts that the user will like. Then, it ranks them based on the relevance score. This score decides which post to display first. Keep in mind that higher the relevance score of a post, higher the chances for that particular post to be visible.

General Best Times to Post on Facebook

The best times to post on Facebook marketplace for engagement, in general, is between 8 AM–12 PM and 6 PM–9 PM, as these periods align with peak user activity. Here’s why:

(All the timings mentioned in this section are global timings.)

Morning Peak Hours

Morning posts (8 AM–12 PM) are effective because users often start their day by catching up on notifications and browsing social media. Many check Facebook during their commute, breakfast, or morning coffee, while others sneak a quick scroll during breaks at work.

Posting during this window maximizes the chances of early engagement, which increases visibility throughout the day as Facebook’s algorithm amplifies posts that gain quick interactions

Evening Peak Hours

Similarly, early evening posts (6 PM–9 PM) capitalize on users’ habits of relaxing and unwinding after work or school. During this period, people are more likely to spend time on social media, engage with posts, and participate in conversations.

Content posted during this time can generate meaningful interactions, which can further enhance its reach through the algorithm.

#Pro Tip: It’s also essential to account for time zone differences when scheduling posts, especially if your audience spans multiple regions or countries. This guarantees that your post times align with your audience’s local routines and that your content reaches them when they’re most active and ready to engage.

Day-by-Day Breakdown of Best Time to Post on Facebook

Infographic showing Facebook Global Engagement, which also shows the best time to post on the platform — *Source: Sprout Social*

Sprout Social analyzed nearly 2 billion social media engagements across 400,000 profiles on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, and X (Twitter).

Their research revealed that specific time windows consistently generate higher engagement on Meta. Here’s a breakdown of what is the best time to post on Facebook on different days:

1. Sunday

Best time to post on Facebook on Sunday: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Worst Times: Early morning (before 8:00 AM), late night (after 8:00 PM)

Sundays generally see consistent engagement throughout the day, as users have more downtime. Late mornings and early afternoons are ideal since people are more likely to browse social media while relaxing at home or preparing for the upcoming week.

However, early mornings and late nights are less effective, as people tend to sleep in or log off earlier to prepare for Monday.

2. Monday

Best time to post on Facebook on Monday: 7:00 AM–11:00 AM, 12:00 PM–1:00 PM, and 4:00 PM.
Worst Times: Late night (after 9:00 PM)

Mondays mark the return to routine, with users checking social media during their morning commute or before diving into the workweek. Thus, to capture engagement during these windows, you must post between 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM or around lunch breaks.

However, late-night posts see reduced engagement, as users are typically preparing for the next workday.

3. Tuesday

Best Time to Post on Facebook on Tuesday: 9:00 AM–11:00 AM, 2:00 PM–4:00 PM
Worst Times: After 9:00 PM, before 6:00 AM

Research suggests that Tuesdays are highly productive days, but engagement still spikes during mid-morning and early afternoon.

Posting on Meta between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM allows you to capture attention during breaks, while the 2:00 PM–4:00 PM slot is ideal for interacting with users winding down from meetings or tasks. Late-night and very early posts tend to get lost, as users are either asleep or focused on work.

4. Wednesday

Best Time to Post on Facebook on Wednesday: 8:00 AM–10:00 AM, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Worst Times: Early morning (before 6:00 AM), late night (after 9:00 PM)

Wednesdays offer steady engagement, with activity peaking in the morning and mid-afternoon. Many users use this day to break from their routine by scrolling through social media during work lulls.

Posting between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM is a great opportunity to catch users looking for a midweek distraction. Once again, early morning and late-night slots typically see less traffic.

5. Thursday

Best Time to Post on Facebook on Thursday: 12:00 PM–1:00 PM, 3:00 PM–6:00 PM
Worst Times: After 9:00 PM

As the weekend draws closer, social media activity shifts toward the afternoon. Users are more likely to engage with posts during lunch breaks or as they start wrapping up their workday between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

Avoid posting after 9:00 PM, as engagement dips when users wind down for the night.

6. Friday

Best Time to Post on Facebook on Friday: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM
Worst Times: Late night (after 9:00 PM)

Fridays see strong engagement early in the day, with users checking their feeds before transitioning into weekend mode. Posting between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM helps capture this energy. After 9:00 PM, engagement drops as people shift their focus to weekend activities, making it a less effective time to post.

While weekends may generally see lower engagement, certain demographics, like Gen Z (typically ages 15–26), often scroll social platforms to unwind over the weekend. If your target audience includes a younger demographic active on Fridays or Saturdays, consider posting when they’re most likely online.

For this, Facebook Insights or Insights on Instagram (only available in professional mode) can help pinpoint these patterns.

7. Saturday

Best Time to Post on Facebook on Saturday: 11:00 AM–1:00 PM, 5:00 PM–7:00 PM
Worst Times: Very early morning (before 7:00 AM), late night (after 10:00 PM)

On Saturdays, engagement spreads across the day, with late morning and early evening offering the best opportunities to connect with users. The 11:00 AM–1:00 PM window aligns with leisure activities like brunch, while the 5:00 PM–7:00 PM slot captures users relaxing before evening plans.

Avoid posting too early or late, as these times tend to have minimal user activity.

Worst and Best Time to Post on Facebook: An Overview

Here’s a quick summary of the best and worst times during different days to post on Meta.

9:00 AM: The best time to post on FB can also be 9:00 AM as it captures users who are starting their day and checking their feeds before diving into work. It’s a prime time for engagement as many people browse social media during their morning routines.
7:00 AM: At 7:00 AM, users are often commuting or having breakfast, making this an excellent time to share content. Engaging posts can catch users’ attention before they fully engage with their workday.
10:00 AM: By 10:00 AM, users are taking short breaks at their workplace and are more likely to scroll through their feeds. This window allows posts to benefit from increased visibility as people check in during their mid-morning lulls.
8:00 AM: Once again, posting at 8:00 AM aligns with morning activities. Posting on Facebook around this time can bring in higher engagement as most people check their notifications in the morning.
11:00 AM: Around 11:00 AM, users begin to think about lunch, and social media becomes a distraction during the final work stretch before noon. Posts made at this hour can attract attention from those looking to unwind briefly.

Worst 5 Hours to Post on Facebook

12:00 AM: Posting at midnight typically sees low engagement, as most users are asleep. Content shared during this time is unlikely to gain traction until the morning.
5:00 AM: Engagement is minimal at 5:00 AM, as users are still waking up or preparing for their day. Posts made during this hour often get overlooked.
2:00 AM: Like midnight, 2:00 AM is a time when the vast majority of users are asleep, resulting in poor visibility and engagement for posts made during these hours.
3:00 AM: Posting at 3:00 AM generally yields little interaction, as users are typically inactive on the platform at this hour.
4:00 AM: Similar to the previous hours, engagement remains low at 4:00 AM, as most users are not online. Content posted at this time is unlikely to reach a substantial audience.

Worst 3 Days to Post on Facebook

Thursday: While Thursdays can work for some types of content, such as engaging in memes, short polls, etc., engagement is often lower on these days as users are focused on wrapping up their week. Posts may get overlooked amid their busyness.
Sunday: Sundays typically see varied engagement. While some users are relaxing, many are preparing for the week ahead, leading to lower interaction rates for posts made on this day.
Saturday: Saturdays can be unpredictable for engagement. Although users have more free time, they are often out and about, resulting in less attention on social media.

How to Use Facebook Insights for Optimizing Post Times?

The figures and data mentioned above can help marketers maximize their post outcomes. However, it’s important to remember that these trends are not absolute. Engagement on Meta can vary based on factors such as industry, audience demographics, specific content types, and algorithms.

Thus, it’s advisable to analyze your data to find the optimal posting times for your unique audience.

Marketers can utilize Insights in Meta Business Suite to analyze audience behavior, track engagement patterns, and identify the best times to post on FB. Here’s how to use it:

Read: How To Use Meta Business Suite? A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Use Facebook Insights to Find Your Audience’s Active Times

Follow these steps to know when your target audience is most active:

Access Facebook Insights: Log in to your Facebook account > Click on Profile picture > Click See all Profiles > Select the required page > Select Meta Business Suite from the left menu > Select Insights from the left menu > Under Content tab, select Overview. (You can also download the Meta Business Suite app on your Android or iOS device to access Facebook Insights for your page.)

Meta Business Suite Insights Overview — Source: Facebook

2. Review Post Types and Engagement: Navigate to the “Posts” tab and click on “Post Types.” Here, you’ll see a breakdown of the different types of posts (photos, videos, etc.) you’ve shared and their average engagement, helping you understand what content resonates most.

3. Analyze Individual Post Performance: In the “All Posts Published” section, scroll through your post history. You can sort posts by Likes, Comments, and Shares to assess which posts drive the most engagement.

4. Monitor Top Performing Pages: Click on “Top Posts from Pages You Watch” within the Posts tab. Add five relevant pages similar to yours to keep track of their performance.

5. Check When Your Target Audience Is Online: The ‘Most active times’ section of the Audience tab shows when your audience is most active.

Social media marketers can use this data to fine-tune their posting schedule around their audience’s real-time behavior. Knowing when followers are most active and what content gets the most engagement helps ensure posts hit at the perfect time for maximum impact.

Tools for Scheduling Facebook Posts

There are a number of tools that can help you schedule your posts on Facebook at the optimal time. These include:

Meta Business Suite

Meta Business Suite allows you to schedule posts, stories, and ads across Facebook and Instagram. After creating your post, simply tap ‘Schedule for later,’ select the desired date and time, and tap ‘Schedule.’ To view scheduled or published posts, go to Posts and Stories and tap ‘Calendar.’

Suite Third-Party Tools (e.g., Buffer, Hootsuite)

Platforms like Buffer and Hootsuite offer automation features to schedule posts for multiple social media channels simultaneously. In addition, you can monitor your social activity and track your performance.

So what’s the difference between the two? And what are the advantages and limitations of using Meta Business Suite and other third-party tools? Let’s decode:

	Meta Business Suite	Third-Party Tools
Cost	Free	Free plan available; paid tiers for advanced features
Platform Integration	Facebook and Instagram only	Supports multiple platforms (X [Twitter], LinkedIn, etc.)
Analytics	Basic insights focused on Meta platforms	Advanced analytics across multiple platforms
Ease of Use	Seamless with Facebook’s native environment	More comprehensive but with a learning curve
Automation	Limited automation	Extensive scheduling and automation options

Tips for Effective Scheduling

Monitor trends: Stay flexible by tracking current events or engagement spikes and tweaking scheduled posts accordingly.
Leave room for spontaneity: Reserve space for real-time posts to keep your content timely and relevant.
Review performance: Regularly evaluate scheduled posts using insights to fine-tune future strategies.
Keep experimenting to stay relevant: No strategy is one-size-fits-all, so testing different posting times and analyzing performance data is key to finding the ideal schedule. Keep experimenting, observe trends, and refine your approach over time to stay ahead and maintain strong engagement on Facebook.

#Pro Tip: Using a mix of native and third-party tools can help social media marketers balance automation with the flexibility needed to adapt quickly on Facebook.

If you are interested in Facebook marketing, you might also like to read:
Meta Advantage+ Catalog Ads
What is Meta Advantage+

Conclusion

Choosing the best time to post on Facebook plays a crucial role in maximizing engagement. While general best practices provide a helpful starting point, it’s essential to use Facebook Insights to uncover when your audience is most active. To take it a step further, incorporate third-party tools for more detailed insights.

Understand that each well-timed post builds on the last and helps you to create a consistent presence that aligns with your audience’s habits and expectations.

FAQs

1. What is the best time of day to schedule Facebook posts?

In general, the best time to post on Facebook is between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Engagement typically peaks during these windows.

2. How far in advance can you schedule posts on Meta?

You can schedule posts on Facebook up to 90 days in advance using Meta Business Suite.

3. What is the best time to post reels on Facebook?

Reels perform well during early mornings (7:00–9:00 AM) and evenings (5:00–7:00 PM) when users have more leisure time.

4. Why does the time of day matter when posting on Facebook?

Posting during peak activity hours increases the chances of early engagement, which Facebook’s algorithm favors to improve reach.

5. Can I schedule posts directly on Facebook, or do I need a third-party tool?

You can schedule posts directly through Meta Business Suite, but tools like Buffer or Hootsuite offer multi-platform automation.

6. Is there a universal “best time” to post on Facebook, or does it depend on my audience?

It varies based on audience behavior, so analyzing your own data through Facebook Insights is essential. Ideally, you should post at 9 AM or 10 AM.

7. How often should I adjust my posting schedule based on performance?

Regularly, at least monthly or quarterly, depending on changes in engagement patterns.

8. Does posting during weekends result in lower engagement on Facebook?

Yes, weekends typically cause lower engagement, especially on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings.

9. How many posts per day should I schedule on Facebook for optimal engagement?

Aim for 1–2 posts per day to maintain engagement without overwhelming your audience.

10. Will posting during off-hours impact my engagement on Facebook?

Yes, posting during off-hours (e.g., late nights) can result in lower visibility and interaction.

11. How to trigger the Facebook algorithm?

Create authentic and engaging content. Use rich media like images and videos to capture attention, post consistently at peak hours, respond promptly to comments, and regularly use Facebook stories to keep your audience updated. Collaborate with influencers who have your target audience, monitor your analytics, and adhere to Meta’s community guidelines.

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